Natural gas is responsible for the majority of reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector, according to the Energy Information Administration’s 2023 U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions report. The data once again demonstrates the critical role natural gas plays in reducing U.S. CO2 emissions.

This report comes in one month after the City of Berkeley repealed its natural gas ban that would have eliminated consumer choice in the community, and on the heels of  the Biden administration’s pause on LNG permits that could impact the United States’ ability to supply reliable energy to allies abroad.

Last month, Europe invested $223 billion in natural gas in order to emancipate itself from Russian supply and Germany, alone, allocated €16 billion to the construction of four major natural gas plants.

Emission Reductions

As EIA explains, natural gas was a driving force behind the reductions in the power sector – the largest share of the total decline in energy-related CO2 emissions:

“Although emissions decreased across many economic sectors, more than 80% of U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions reductions in 2023 occurred in the electric power sector. These reductions were caused largely by reduced coal-fired electricity generation, as natural gas and solar power made up a larger portion of the generation mix. This change in the generation mix away from coal, which has the highest carbon intensity among fossil fuels, decreased electric power sector CO2 emissions by 7% relative to 2022.” (emphasis added)

In fact, a deeper dive into the data provided in the report’s methodology and supplemental content shows natural gas is responsible for roughly 61 percent of the power sector’s emissions reductions since 2005 and year-over-year.

Since 2005, the increased use of natural gas for power generation has led to emissions reductions of 5,640 MMT CO2 – or 735.5 million homes energy use for one year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

In 2023 alone, the shift to natural gas provided an emissions reduction of 653 million metric tons of CO2 (MMT CO2). That’s the emissions equivalent of the carbon sequestration of 762.4 million acres of U.S. forests in one year, according to EPA’s calculator.

Bottom Line: Natural gas is an essential resource to decrease national CO2 emissions, while maintaining grid reliability and affordability. This is a fact demonstrated by the significant CO2 emissions reductions in the U.S. power sector over nearly the last decade – a success story that Europe is now working to replicate.